A variety of advanced still camera systems have been recently disclosed in which data related to the scenes photographed is input into memory associated with the film strip to be forwarded to the photofinisher to aid in making prints, and, in some instances including messages or annotations to be associated with the prints. As set forth in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,276,472, (incorporated herein by reference in its entirety) systems for providing voice recording in cameras in association with the exposure of each film image frame have become known in the art. In the '472 patent, a system is provided for recording a message in transparent magnetic film tracks in a magnetics-on-film (MOF) layer on the non-emulsion side of the film overlying the image frame area. The user may speak words into a camera microphone/speaker that are processed into digital signals stored temporarily in memory. When the message is completed, the user may command the camera to play it back audibly for review and editing as considered necessary. When the message content is considered satisfactory, the digitized annotation may be recorded in the MOF layer tracks of the exposed image frame during advancement of the film to the next image frame. The user may continue recording messages for each image frame exposed, and the fully exposed film is processed so that the resulting prints carry the annotations corresponding to the messages recorded.
The '472 patent is directed to such a system where the coding of each message on the associated print is done during the photofinishing operation in such a way that the machine readable coded information allows the audible reproduction of the message through the use of a special hand-held scanner. The coded information is in the form of a bar code, a blister spot pattern or the like that may be scanned and translated into an audio voice reproduction by the hand-held scanner moved over the coded information. A brief alphanumeric place and date annotation may also be printed in the border of the print.
The system disclosed in the '472 patent thus simply phonetically processes the speech that is recorded into coded information, and the hand-held scanner phonetically reproduces the words. A brief, alphanumeric place and date annotation may also be printed in the border of the print by the user or the photofinisher from listening to and manually transcribing the recorded message. The quality and accuracy of reproduction of the message depends on how carefully and clearly the words are spoken by the user during the editing and re-recording operation.
In order to store such information, as well as the image frame identification to which it pertains, and other information automatically entered from the camera operating system or optionally entered by the camera user, it is necessary to employ such a further writable and readable media in association with either the film (as disclosed in the '472 patent) or in some other storage media or memory.
With respect to recording camera operating conditions and time and date for each image frame exposure other than on the film itself, it has been proposed to magnetically read and write data on magnetic strips formed on the sides or an end of the film cartridge, as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,443,077. More recently, it has been suggested that such data may be stored and retrieved from non-volatile memory chips, e.g. an EEPROM, incorporated in an integrated circuit chip "card" as set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 5,128,700. The card may be separable from the camera and film cartridge, or a similar EEPROM card may be attached to the film cartridge as set forth generally in U.S. Pat. No. 5,070,355. Alternatively, the storage of such information in "ROM-ICs" attached permanently or releasibly to the sides or ends of film cartridges is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,142,310.
The '700 patent also stores sound or voice messages related to the image frames in the removable sound cards that are intended to accompany the film when it is sent in for processing, so that the message may be reproduced as a sound code with the print made from the negative film image frame for phonetic playback of the message. Alternatively, the card itself is read out phonetically. As in the '472 patent, the sound is reproduced phonetically as the coded information or recorded data is scanned.
In another embodiment disclosed in the '700 patent and in a further U.S. Pat. No. 4,344,682, a camera is described for recording information related to each image frame as small alphanumeric characters exposed in a corner portion of the image frame for photographic reproduction on the print made from the negative image frame. The information may be recorded or stored in temporary memory prior to making the exposures of the image frames and exposed on the image frames in conjunction with the image frame exposure. As each message is inputted into memory, it is displayed and may be edited. The input mechanism depicted is a keyboard, but it is suggested that other input means, including a voice recognition device, may be substituted for the keyboard.
In an electronic still camera disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,742,369, it is also suggested that a keyboard or a voice recognition circuit be employed to input spoken information to be stored regarding each image that is captured by the camera.
In a further camera system, e.g. that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,027,149, voiced commands are given by the user to command each camera operation. A voice recognition circuit is employed in a system for training the camera to recognize and respond accurately to the spoken commands.